A Day To Remember

Sundays usually start like any other day of the week, today was no different. But how the day unfolded made this day one I will never forget. The day began with letting all of the dogs out for their morning break. I was once again assigned the puppies so I couldn't handle any of the sick dogs. For the first time ever though I didn't sanitize any of the kennels this weekend. I am a little disappointed I'm not getting my upper body workout but I guess it will have to do.

Once I was finished with the morning cleaning, which was rather quickly I went over to the cattery to assist there. With only one cat kennel left it was mine, unfortunately it was the one that had poo smeared all over it. Some times my timing is just perfect I thought to myself. I think the other two staff members were thinking the exact same thing.

Now that the South kennels and the cattery were done I went ahead and took out all of the garbage and started the laundry. Before I knew it was close to opening time and the East and West weren't yet sanitized. Luckily everyone came together and knocked out the remaining cleaning right as we opened.

Like yesterday, today seemed a little more mellow than the last several weekends. Not sure if it has something to do with adequate staffing or just less people, but it is nice and relaxing. Dishes washed and all of the morning cleaning duties out of the way it was time for me to spend a little time with the puppies. It was nice because they are off of bite quarantine and are able to be in the public's eye for the first time in a while. The only problem is when I go and visit and work with them in their kennel everyone that walks by screams PUPPIES!

Later in the day we were informed about another pet relinquishment. This time it was a lovely little cat that the owner couldn't take with her because they were downsizing their home. You always feel bad for the animal because it is having to go through the stressful transition of moving into a shelter but you also have to look at the owners as well. Now I have dealt with the emotionless to the down right nutty but today it was very tough to see this woman give up her companion that she obviously loved dearly. When we were chipping the animal she wanted to come say goodbye one more time. With tears in her eyes she was explaining how the little guy like to be petted and that he seemed comfortable with us. A few hugs and a lot of tears later she thanked us for doing what we do and I walked her out. It is always nice to see people appreciative of how different this shelter is and also comforting them no matter how long it takes.

All I know is at this point if I were to blink hard I'm sure a few tears would stream down my face. Best thing to do is just get back to work. It was time for the afternoon break for all the dogs and luckily the other staff members were on the ball and got most of them out while we were taking care of the cat. Once all of the closing work was done I was in the office and was asked to take a showing. It was a mother and her daughter. The daughter was about 50 and I'm not sure how old the mother was but they wanted to look at a little white spaniel. I read over their profile and noticed on their energy level they were right above couch potato. The funny thing is the little guy they wanted to look at is a spaz of all spazzes and needs a home that will tire him out. I told them about the animal and said it probably wouldn't be a good fit. They understood and took my recommendations on a few other dogs that might be a good fit. We went down to visit one of the dogs (who had been here almost two months) and they fell in love. The reason the dog hasn't been adopted out yet is due to his toy and food guarding issues. He is one of those little guys that doesn't need any children running around and needs to have his owner all to himself. I felt that the adopters were perfect. The woman had lost her dog about eight months ago and said she would never get another one and yet here she is again with the biggest smile on her face. I decided to leave them alone for a bit to spend some time with the dog and it also gave me a chance to look over the little guy's medical record to see what has been done. When I returned they had a few questions but were still showing lots of emotion. The people decided to adopt after I answered their remaining questions but wouldn't be able to take him home for a few days. They wanted to prepare the home first for their new arrival. That wouldn't be a problem and away they went.

My first adoption. I can only tell you that I left work today with the biggest smile I can smile. It is so nice to find an animal the perfect home and the perfect people for a new pet. The smiles and warmth that is brought out in the interaction will make anyone feel good. Animals truly enrich our lives and I am happy to be part of making that happen. A great day to remember.